Motor-driven vehicle.



nu. sssm. Patented myn, |9oo.`

R. F`. HALL. noms nmvl-:N VEHICLE.

(Appucazion med am. 14, 1899.1

3 Sheets-Sheet I.

WITNESSES Patsnted luly I7, |900.

B. F. HALL.

KOTOR DRIVE" VEHICLE.

(Appnmm med'kpt. 14, 1899.

(Nu'lodel.)

Patented luly I7, |900.

R. F. HALL. MOTOR DRIVER VEHICLE.

(Application 'med Sept. 14, 1899.)

3 lheets--Shmat 3,

WTNES'SES INVENTOR @Mr wm- Unire' STATE-s Parent" einen.

ROBERT FREDERICK HALL, OF MOSELEY, ENGLAND.`

MOTOR-DRIVEN VEHICLE.

SPECIFICATION fermng part or Letters ratent No. 653,801, dated July 17, 1900. Application inea september 14,1899. serrano. 730.482. (romano To all whom it ntcty concern:

'Be it known that I, ROBERT FREDERICK HALL, engineer, a subject of theQueen of Great Britain, residing at Ferndale, Church road, Mosel-ey, near the city of Birmingham, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motor-Driven Vehicles, of which the following is a specication.

This invention has relation to motor-driven road-vehicles propelled by oil and like explosion-engines, electricity, steam, or other motive power. Such vehicles commonly run upon four Wheels, generally with the ,back pair being used as the drivers, while the front pair are utilized for steering, and a common defect with. all such vehicles is side slip and a tendency to turn around when the brake is applied suddenly or when at high speeds on greasy, inclined, or slippery surfaces.

The principal object of my invention is to overcome these defects and to equally distribute the driving wear and tear over the whole syste1n,which is effected by making the whole of the Wheels of the vehicle act both as drivers and steerers.

Further objects of my invention are to construct the vehicle wholly, or nearly so, of detachable parts, thereby facilitating manufacture and rendering everything accessible for inspection, repair, and the like, to so construct the under carriage or framing ot' the vehicle that twisting of the same is obviated, and to improve and simplify the construction and arrangement of the speed and driving gear of such vehicles.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings represents a side elevation of a road-vehicle propelled by an oil-motor and having four road-wheels of equal size, the Whole of which are so mounted and connected with the motor and the steering-gear as to act both for driving and steering in accordance with my invention. In this and the succeeding gures of the drawings the superstructure or body of the vehicle, which may beef any suitable character or design, is not shown. Fig. 2 shows a plan of the said vehicle, and Fig. 3 is a view of the back end thereof. Fig. at represen ts a cross-section of the vehicle upon the dotted line taken through the transverselyswiveling joint which connects together the front and back parts ol'` the frame, which is so constructed for the purpose of obviating any liability to longitudinal twist in the structure. Figo represents,upon an enlarged scale andpartly in section and partlyin elevation, the hub of one of the live-wheels, showing the construction of the joint by which it is swivelly connected to the driven axlein such a manner as to admit of the wheel being turned for steering. Fig. 6 is a View showing a modied form of joint for connecting the driven axle to the live driving and steering wheel.

The same letters of reference indicate cor responding parts in Figs. l t0 5 of the drawings.

The vehicle illustrated in the said figures comprises a framing made up of two sections constructed in a rectangular form from an assemblage of tubular members and swivelly connected together. The motor is mounted on the front frame and drives, by an arrange ment of toothed gearing bands and pulleys, the axle of the rearmost pair of live r0ad= wheels, while motion is communicated from the rear axle to the other axle, which is mounted in bearings in the front frame, by chain-and-sprocket gearing. The steering is eected by mounting the whole of the wheels in vertically-pivoted forks coupled together, so as to move collectively, by a system of connectingrods, levers, and flexible steel bands controlled and operated by a hand-wheel and rack and pinion.

Dealing first with the framing, ais the front part or fore carriage, and o the rear part or rear carriage, the former consisting of pairs of parallel side tubes or members a a2, connected together at the front transversely by parallel members a3 and vertically through the medium ot sleeve-like extensions d of the split bearings d, wherethrough the front axle e ofthe vehicle passes, While at the back or inner end the sides are connected to vertical junctions or corner-pieces c3, the latter loeing secured in turn by means of four transverse tubes or stays a5, to a gapped end plate or bearing c2, constituting one of the members of the swiveling or yielding connection c, by which the fore and rear parts of the carriageframing are coupled together. The several members comprising this rectangular struc IOC ture are preferably secured together by detachable mechanical joints, both for convenience in manufacture and to facilitate detachment when it is necessary to remove any of the parts of the vehicle carried on the fore frame. The rear part of the framing is pret'- erably longer than the fore part and consists of a similar rectangular assemblage of tubular members comprising two parallel side pairs b' b2, having parallel transverse stays b3 at the rear end and braced vertically near the said rear end by the sleeve-like extensions f' of the split bearing f of the'rear axle g, while the side tubes terminate inwardly in junction-pieces c4, similar to and coinciding with the junctions c3 at the inner corners of the fore carriage, and from which transverse stays b5 proceed to the bearing-plate c5, opposed to` and gapped to coincide with the fore carriage end or bearing plate c2. The inner faces of these end plates c2 c5 come together'and work upon one another when the two parts of the framing change their relative positions, and the connection between the" two sections is effected by a series of threebolts d10 d20 cl3, the former two of which are passed, res-pcctively, through coincident curved slots c, formed in the opposed corner-'junctions c3 c4 of the back and front frame sections, which junctions come together and Work upon one another in like manner as the middle bearings, While the third bolt cl3 takes through a coincident pair of curved slots c7, made in the' upper parts of the said middle bearings or opposed elements c2 c5 of the swiveling connection c. Further, in order toadmit of the said connection havinga certain amount of longitudinal play or elasticity, pairs-of rubber washers d4' are strung upon the bolts and arranged to come upon the opposite sides of the connected parts, while ber or vulcanite rubbing-pieces may be disposed between the opposed faces or" the two halves of the joint to minimize friction.

The motor is suitably mounted upon the fore carriage and consists in the arrangement shown of a-pair of independent engines g of any suitable type, collectivelydriving a dru m g2; which acts as a iiy-wheel, this system being preferred from the fact that in the event of a breakdown of either engine it may be uncoupled from the drum and the other engine used alone to propel the vehicle. The drum g2-carries or is fashioned into a pair of pulleys g3 g4, from` which a pair of crossed' high-speed driving-bands g5 Q6 proceed rear.- wardly to the speedgearing, which is de'- signed to give only two speeds and is arranged as follows:

Mounted upon a dead-spindle 7L, supported leys h2` h3 and h4 h5, the former pair being. drive-n by the belt g5 from the engine-drumk g3, while the latter pairare driven by the other band g6 from the second drum. The

fast pulley h2 is keyed to a sleeve or bu'sh suri drawings) gearing for high speed with a large toothed wheel made fast to a driven sleevef,

through which the rear axle g passes, the

lsaid sleeve and axle being coupled together for driving purposes by a balance-gear of any ordinary construction contained within the casingf6 for the purpose of admitting of the road wheels, with the axle and the driven shaft, rotating-at diderential rates when the vehicle is turningacorner. The other fast pulley 7a4, driven by the second belt g'is connecte ed with a larger slowspeed pinion, engaging with a toothed wheel inclosed withinasecondl gear-casef5 and made fast to the driven pinion'. It will thus be seen that when the band g5'is thrown onto the pulley h2 the vehicle is driven at ahigh speed, the other band Q6 meantime running idly on the loose pulley h5; but when the belts are shifted by suitable means so as to transfer the belt gto the loose pulley h3 and the belt Q6 to the fast pulley h4 then the high-speed gear is thrown out of action, andi driving at the lower rate of speed is eifect'ed through the pinion on the'sleeve of. the pulley h4. On the other hand, when both the bands are thrown onto the loose pulleys then the motor is disconnected from the drivinggear and axle and runs-idle while the' carriage stands stationary.

For the purpose of driving the front axle'e at the same speed as the rear axle g the driven sleeve f4 is provided in the longitudinal center of the vehicle with a toothed' wheel f7, gearing'by means of a drive-chain t' with an'- other toothed wheel dT ofk the same size, 4Secured to a driven sleeve d", through which the front axle e passes, with driving connection.

between the said sleeve and axle being'established by a balance-gear inclosed. within the casing'p6 and so arranged that normally both the axle and its sleeve rotate together at the same speed. v

Each of the road-wheels j 3'2 and 7c Mis mounted and runs between the branches of a steering-fork. m, of which the crown m' has a short vertical post or pivot m2, working within a socket m3, carried by an arm or'end m4 of a transverse member bs'of the framing, the said post being retained in thesocket by nuts m5 takingY upon the upper screwed end` of the same, while ball-bearings are interposed between the contacting surfacesof the working parts to minimize friction. Each fork consistsof two opposite pairs of blades,

maud m7, each detachably connected at theirvv upper ends to the crown m by means of bolts m8. At their lower ends the inner pair of blades m6 come together and terminate in a IIO ' verging ends of the outer blades m7 terminate in a similar fitting m13, which is detachably jointed at m1AL te a second suspended hubbearing n2,

The hub n of each road-wheel comprises a body n', of which the inner and larger end n3 workswithin the fixed suspended ringbear ing m11, with antifriction-rollers m12 interposed between them, while at. the outer end the hub-body isV made fast to an internal lit-i ting n4, Whose shank 71,5 is connected by a universal joint 0 to the driven axle, so that the two road-wheels of both the driven front and back axles are coupled to the said axles by joints which both transmit the rotary motion for driving and permit of the said wheels being turned, with their forks, about a vertical center for steering, and preferably the said swivel-joint is arranged to come exactly in the center of the wheel, so that in the event ofthe wheel in running striking against any obstruction lying in its path it readily mounts the same without any leverage likely to distort the wheel or set up shock being created, such as would be apt to occur if the center of the joint was out of the wheel-center. The forward extension ns of the fitting n4 is provided with a pair of bearing-cones nl ns, the inner one of which comes up to an abutmentr n and is prevented from rotating by pegs n10, while its shank n is screwed, and the outer cone n3 takes and is adjustable thereon for the purpose of taking up any slack which may occur in the outer hub-bearings, comprising two sets of antifrietion-balls w12 9113, located, respectively, in races formed by the half-races of the live or rotating cones 'nl and ns and opposed half-races rtl4 nk", in the stationary or dead element formed by the fork-suspended part n2, which is screwed to receive the dust-cap uw. n are the nuts, and w18 the washer,by which the cones are retained in place upon the extension n of the hubbody. These bearings are entirely self-contained and may be removed bodily from the hub by disconnecting the outer fork-blades, removing the dust-cap, and unscrewing the lock-nuts.

To prevent dust and the like gaining access to the inside of the hub from the inner end and yet without interfering with the swiveling movement of the wheel relative to the axle, a sleeve or sheath p, of flexible material, is provided, the inner part of which is secured to the body of the hub by means of a ring p', while the outer end is made fast in like manner by a ring p2 to the axle.

For the purpose of effecting the steering of the vehicle through the medium of the four live or driven road-wheels l employ a system of levers and connections arranged in the following manner: Mounted upon suitable bearings q', preferably detachably fitted to the members of one side of the rear frame, is a front wheel-forks.

spindle q, provided at one end with a steering hand-wheel q2, arranged to come Within convenient reach of the driver of the vehicle and having a toothed wheel g3, which gears with a rack r cut in the edge of a sliding rod r, working within a pair of guides r2, which may also be removably fitted to the framing side, both for convenience in manufacture and to facilitate repair. To the rearmost end of the slide is jointed a connecting-rod r3, terminating in and jointed to the one end of a lever s, made fast to a vertical steering-pillar s', carried bya pair of bearings S2, detachably connected by means of clips s3 to the transverse stay members b3 of the rear framing, while the extreme upper end of the said pillar works in a third bearing s4, carried by the rear end of a stay h6, secured by a clip b" or other mechanical or detachable joint to the transverse framing member bs, before referred to, and which is arranged to come between and brace together the bearing-sockets m3 of the wheel-forks and is supported in an elevated position above and parallel with the rear axle by vertical members b9, extending from the framing b. At or neaivgm its upper end the said steering-pillar is provided with a double-armed lever or triangular frame t, the ends of the two angularly-disposed branches t Vt2 of which respectively have jointed to them the inward terminations of a pair of connecting-rods t3 and 154, the` former proceeding and being joint-ed to an arm t5, projecting rearwardly from the crown of the fork of the left-hand rear road-wheel, while the latter proceeds and is jointed in like manner to a similar arm t6, carried by the forkcrown of the right-hand rear wheel.

To insure the front driven wheels being moved in unison with the back pair for steering, I secure, preferably, to the lower end of the steeringpillar s a cross-piece or straight double-armed lever S5, and at the front of the fore part a of the vehicle-framing I arrange a second steering-pillar u', supported in bearings u? n4, the latter pair being detachably connected to the transverse framing members a3 and the former by a supplementary stay a, attached by a clip c7 to a transverse frame-tube as, supported by uprights a9 and bracing together the bearing-sockets of the The lower end of this pillar u is provided with a double-armed lever of", the counterpart of the one S5 on the rear pillar, and the two levers are connected together by means of a pair of crossed flexible steel bands t" t2, of which the one is jointed at rear ,end to the left-hand branch of the lever $5 and at the front end to the right-hand branch of the lever u5, while the ends of the other band are jointed to the other branches of the two levers. Near the summit of the pillar it' is an angie-leverw, the counterpart of the levert at the back, and whose branches. w' w2 are respectively coupled to forward arms 105 w, extending from the fork-crowns of the two front road-wheels by connecting-rods IOO ' easoi through their forks, are taken into positionsy more or less at an angle relative to their axles, according to the radius of the curve to be turned, while by the interposition of the angular levers if and w I insure that the wheels which come innermost on a curve and have to describe a smaller circle shall assume a more acute angle relative to the axles than the outermost wheels. (See the positions indicated by the dotted lines in the plan view, Fig. 2.)

Adverting again to the construction of the framing and to the manner in which the various parts are assembled together and secured by detachable mechanical joints, I may say that the sections of the split bearings d and f within which the live driving-sleeves r`un may be connected together by pins or bolts a; and clips sa at the tops and bottoms of the sleeves or extensions CZ f', which clips also serve to detachably secure the upright members a9 b9, supporting the transverse fork socket-braces cts bs, and also (through the medium of the sockets rc2) the transverse end members a3 and b3, with their corner-lugs d10 Z910 and short tubes a h, to the front and rear body-sections of the main framing. By such a construction it is rendered possible to remove either of the steering-pillars (after the flexible steel bands have been disconnected) and the levers carried by them by detaching the upper lever t or w from its connectingrods'and then unfastening the clips s3 or Lts and b or a7, by which the bearings S2 s4 or u2 n4 are secured to the transverse frame-tubes b3 b8 or d3 as, respectively. The outer bearings of the wheel-hubs are also removable (as previously described) after the outer forkblades have been disconnected from their crowns, while after the steering-pillars and their levers have been removed and the drivechain i unfastened either of the driven axles,

with its sleeve and the parts of the drivingl gear carried thereon, may be removed bodily, with the road-wheels and the said frame membersfrom the main framing by withdrawing the b olts :c and detaching the clip connections as. Further, when the driving-belts g5 gi, drive-chain 2', and steering-bands 1;02 have been removed the front of the framing carrying the motor and its cognate parts may be readily separated from the back part carrying the speed-gearing by removing the bolts d10 d2 d3 of the liexible or yielding connection e. The withdrawal of the dead-spindle t permits of the detachment of the fast and loose pulleys of the speed-gear, while the brackets h and the sectional gear-case may also be taken away and replaced with ease should circumstances necessitate it.

Instead of employing a universal ball-joint for connecting the axles to the hubs of the driven and steering wheels, such as shown in Fig. 5, I may use a form of hook-joints, such as shown in Fig. 6, or any other suitable form of joint or swiveling connection may beused which will transmit the movement of the driven axle to the road-wheels and at thesame time permit of the said wheels being turned to any angle that may be required for steering purposes.

Having fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by LettersPatent 1s l. A running gear for motor-driven vehicles, comprising two separate rectangular frames centrally swiveled together at their adjacent ends so as to turn about a horizontal axis, and endwise-yielding connections connecting the adjacent ends of said frames together, whereby said frames are free to turn independently of one another about a horizon tal axis and also move longitudinally away from and toward each other, substantially as described.

2. In a motor-driven vehicle, the combination with two separate frames flexibly connected and centrally' swiveled together at l their adjacent ends, a front and rear axle, respectively carried by said frames, and groundwheels carried by said axles, of a motor caring connecting said motor with the rear axle,

`and gearing connecting the rear axle to the Afront axle to cause said axles lo rotate inunison,and steering mechanism arranged toturn all four of the driving-wheels about their vertical axes simultaneously,substantially as d'escribed.

3. In a motor-propelled vehicle, the combination with two separate frames iiexibly connected and centrally swiveled together at their adjacent ends, of a front and rear axle respectively carried by said frames, groundwheels carried by said axles, a motor carried by the forward frame, differential gea-ring connecting said motor with the rear axle, gearing connecting the rear axle to the front axle to cause the said axles to rotate in uni-- son, and steering mechanism arranged to-simultaneously turn the front and rear wheels laterally at opposite angles, said steering mechanism being constructed and arranged to turn the front and rear wheels on the side toward which the vehicle is turned at a more` acute angle than the front and rear wheels on the other side, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

4. In motor-driven vehicles in which the framing, or the underframing is made in two separate or detachable and transversely or cross divided parts, coupling or securingto` gether the said parts bya swiveling and yielding joint, consisting of a pair of end bearingplates or their equivalent respectively fitted `ried by the forward frame, differential gear- IIO cated universal or swivelin g joint connections between them and the driven or live axles, substantially as herein described and set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

'izo the opposed ends of the two parts of the frame and having curved coincident gaps through which bolts are passed, with or without rubber or elastic Washers strung upon their opposite ends, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

5. In motordriven vehicles in which wheels l are utilized for both driving and steering, the construction of the wheel-hubs, with inner and outer bearings suspended from the sides of the steering-forks and with centrally-lo- ROBERT FREDERICK HALL. Witnesses:

HENRY SKERRETT, ARTHUR T. SADLER. 

